


His Stability

by Cream_Of_Yeet



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, Abuse, Angst, Cutting, Depression, M/M, Support Group, Voltron, domestic abuse, im sorry lmao, klance, might not be too accurate, on Earth, this is based on my experience in a support group so, vld
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-02-02 02:16:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12717660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cream_Of_Yeet/pseuds/Cream_Of_Yeet
Summary: This isn't the stereotypical story of Boy saves boy. This isn't the story where they meet, one has a crisis, the other helps them, and they fall in love. This is the story of two boys saving themselves; and falling in love in the process.“Juniberry support group; sometimes talking is the first step.”Keith is new to the support group. He doesn’t want to be there; the only reason he is in the first place is because Shiro is making him. Lance, who’s been in the group for a while, immediately sparks an interest in Keith. While at first, Keith is almost only annoyed with Lance, eventually romance sparks. But when Keith suddenly closes off again, Lance tries to find out what’s wrong, and accidentally discovers there’s more to Keith’s home life than just depression.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like this! I’m going to try updating this weekly, although I’m swamped with schoolwork so I don’t know if that’s gonna happen. I’ll try, though! Please read the tags before reading! The chapters will hopefully be longer, too!

"Welcome back everyone, welcome! As you may have noticed, we have a new member joining the support group with us today.”

Lance had been part of the support group for quite a while. He had had depression, at one point in time severe enough to the point where he was considering suicide, and one of his friends said it would be good for him if he joined this group. He was, at first, reluctant, but once he’d given it a shot, he was glad he did. It had helped a lot so far. The only reason he was still going to meetings was because he would sometimes have random spouts of really suicidal thoughs, especially right when he thinks he’s getting better. The leader was kind, but cheerful, in stark contrast to the members. It was odd sometimes, given the circumstances. He felt like she acted like that in attempt to hide her own problems; but maybe he was just projecting.

“If you wouldn't mind, please turn your attention to him. Would you like to introduce yourself?"  
The leader asked, a bit too cheerfully for being, well, the leader of a depression support group, looking to a teenaged boy on the other side of the circle who didn't appear to take very good care of himself, but could be attractive if he did.  
He had an unbrushed, -but not ratty- haircut, that was rather outdated, pale but not quite sickly skin, and eyes that from what could be seen were the oddest shade of blue; almost purple. His clothes didn't look the best quality, a well worn jacket that appeared to have at least a few years of wear over a simple t-shirt and jeans. Lance himself, took pride in his appearance, in contrast to most people there. He always made sure his hair was brushed, and his clothes were tidy. 

Lance sat on the floor, looking up at the leader and the newcomer. They didn't get new people often, and it was a good thing they didn't as this was a depression support group, but when they did he always tried his best to welcome them. He had seen plenty of people come and go, though, be it recovery, or... When the boy spoke, Lance expected the usual timid, shaky and or quiet tone that newcomers normally had, but what he got was more of a sneer than anything. 

“The name’s Keith.” He muttered, sounding as if being there was the last thing he wanted. And Lance understood; he had felt the same way when he first joined. But it would get better, surely. Lance listened to the boy, who was rather quiet and seemed to not be in the best condition. Lance looked around the room for the others reactions. He looked at the boy for a bit longer and smiled a bit hoping to make the other more comfortable.

"Would you like to explain why you're here?" The leader of the group asked, and Keith rolled his eyes, as if the question was ridiculous. "Same as everyone else." He muttered, crossing his arms. "I'm depressed. Don't expect me to just tell you my life story."  
Although it seemed a bit rude, Lance knew Keith had a point. Although they did this every week, newcomers would be nervous and they wouldn’t just say their stories to a bunch of people they didn’t know. They had to open up to the group first, so, the fact that the leader would even ask is a bit dumb. At Keith’s comment, the Leader looked taken back, a little shocked. Like mentioned earlier, usually newcomers were quiet, shy, timid, and any synonym of those, but this was different. She didn’t expect the response she got. It almost seemed as if he didn’t want to be here. People usually came because they wanted to help themselves get better. 

“I, uh, alright then!” The leader laughed nervously, and Lance turned his attention back to her, tearing his gaze away from Keith, which was, admittedly, a bit hard to do. Lance didn’t know why. “Now, how about we go around the circle, and say one good thing about our week, one bad thing, how many days clean we’ve been, or just anything we’d like to share.” She stated, giving a smile as she looked around the circle. “Now, who’d like to start?” She questioned. 

They did this every week. Sometimes the other people in the group would share a detail from their past if they were up to it, but most of the time the details that haven’t already been shared wouldn’t be.  
As they went around the circle, the most common thing shared was time clean from cutting. Some seemed more proud of their answers than others, others not so much. Gentle reassurances were murmured from others after each answer that was lower than five.  
Three days,  
Five days,  
Four days,  
Seventeen days,  
Ten days,  
And then it got to Lance. Lance was proud of himself. Proud of the fact that he was able to say he was twenty days clean. He wore a wide smile as he announced that. Today, he would say something about his week as well. He loved to talk, though that was more outside of the group than in. 

“I failed the test on Friday. But, I got a new sweater this week! It’s blue, and it matches two of my friends’ sweaters too.” Lance stated, shrugging. He was truly excited about matching sweaters with his two friends, Pidge and Hunk, on Monday. And just like that, the circle went on, others sharing what they felt comfortable with sharing. Once they got to Keith, he said nothing, just crossing his arms and shaking his head. The leader raised an eyebrow, but nodded at his silence, understanding. “If you dont want to speak this time, that’s fine.” She stated, giving a reassuring smile. Keith scoffed, and Lance frowned. That was a bit rude.

Once the circle was complete, so was the meeting, and everyone stood up, getting their coats and such. Lance slipped on his coat after standing up, keeping an eye on Keith. He watched as Keith talked to someone older, someone not in the group, who Lance didn’t quite recognize. He lost sight of him, however, when one of the girls in the group walked up to him, asking if he wanted to go to lunch.  
“Oh, uh, sure.” Lance stated, but the entire time they were out, Lance couldn’t get Keith off his mind. He was mysterious, and that made Lance extremely curious about him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keith chapters usually dont confirm to the chronological order of the Lance chapters, so they're going to be at different points in his life. Like, this chapter takes place a week before the first chapter.

A brochure landed in front of Keith on the counter, making a smack-like noise against the granite. Keith looked up from his phone, at whatever just landed in front of him, and sighed, looking up fully.  
Shiro was standing next to the counter, arms crossed. Keith frowned. “what's the deal?” He asked, crossing his own arms, tilting his head as he eyed the pamphlet suspiciously.  
His friend sighed. “Keith, I think you should read for yourself what its about,” he told him, and Keith groaned. He hated when he did this. “Is there a reason you can’t just tell me?” He rolled his eyes. Shiro sighed. “just, read it on your own.” He told him. 

Keith rolled his eyes yet again, leaning over to get the form. Not being able yo reach, he made frustrated noises and a big deal out of not being able to reach. He was going to make this as miserable for Shiro as he could at the moment. He kept reaching, refusing to move any closer to the form. Yeah, he knew he was being childish, but, to tell the truth, when wasnt he?

Eventually getting frustrated, Shiro sighed, picking up the pamphlet and handing it to Keith. Keith stood up straight again, flashing his friend a smirk. “thank you.” He told him, a bit unimpressed, and looked over the brochure.

“Juniberry Depression support group; sometimes talking is the first step.”  
Violet eyes scanned over the brochure, sneering at how ridiculous it was. “Yeah, right. You're trying to get me to do this, aren't you? Well, dont even try.” Keith scoffed, rolling his eyes at the idea. Keith wasn't depressed; well, that was what he told anyone who asked, and in his opinion he didn’t need to talk about anything. To him, the whole idea was ludicrous.  
Keith leaned against the wall of Shiro’s kitchen, folding the paper brochure back up before tossing it onto the kitchen island. He crossed his arms, giving Shiro a challenging look when he tried to pick it back up. 

Shiro sighed, trying to reason with him. “Keith, I just at least want you to try this. I know people who group therapy has really helped, and I think-“ he started talking, but found himself unable to finish his sentence when Keith scoffed again, purposefully louder than before as to draw his attention. “Group therapy? What, you think I’m crazy? That I need therapy? Well, newsflash, I don’t.” He said defensively, and Shiro took a step back. “Keith, that’s not it. That’s not it at all.” Shiro sighed, “I just think, no, I know, that you’ve been depressed since the incident. And I know you well enough to be sure that you’ve been bottling up your emotions.”  
Keith was not having it. “No. No. I'm not bottling up my emotions, I'm not depressed, and I'm not doing your stupid group therapy!” He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air out of frustration as he shot a glare at Shiro. 

Shiro sighed, it was clear he wanted Keith to do this. “Keith, please? You only have to go to one meeting.” He looked at him. Keith put a hand up. “Stop. I’m not doing it.” He stated blankly, and Shiro sighed. “Do it for me?”  
Keith couldn't say no to Shiro, not when he asked like that. So he bit his lip, looking off to the side. He really, really didn't want to do this. But, I guess, deep down he knew he really should. But he tried to suppress that knowledge, not wanting to feel vulnerable. That was the worst feeling for him, unlike any actual pain.

Ever since the incident, Keith had been closed off, and cold. At least, with people he didn't know very well. His stepmom, was an exception, but thats a different story for another chapter. The incident had changed, no, ruined, his life for the worst, and he hasnt been the same since.  
Keith used to be a happy, normal, teenage boy, one who could bother to do more than a half-ass job when cutting his own hair and laughed often. But then the incident happened, and that happy teenage boy was gone, having been replaced with the cold, sarcastic boy he was now. He had lost friends, he lost a lot of them, and only Shiro stuck by his side. 

Keith finally sighed, giving up on protesting anymore. “fine. I guess I'll do it then.” He then frowned. “but don't get any ideas! I refuse to do this any more than one time. I'm only doing this to please you in the first place.” He muttered, crossing his arms. He still refused to look Shiro in the eyes, but he could tell his friend was smiling a bit.  
“You only had to do one in the first place.” He told him.

 

A week later, Keith trudged into the clinic, terrible posture displaying exactly how much he didn't want to be there. Shiro followed him, and Keith knew he was going to stay to make sure Keith didnt sneak off in the middle of the meeting, which was annoying as hell. Couldn't he just leave him alone for one minute? I guess not.  
As Keith sat down, there was one boy that caught his eye, a lanky looking latino boy around his age. He was cute. But, he seemed like he would be extremely annoying. Soon enough, though, the minute hand reached the 6, and the meeting started.

 

"Welcome back everyone, welcome! As you may have noticed, we have a new member joining the support group from now on.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a short filler. I'm sorry I havent been updating. Something happened and I just mentally havent been able to bring myself to write this until now. I really hope you all will forgive me, and I'll try to update more frequently from now on.   
> ♡♡♡♡

Lance sat inside the restaurant with the girls from the support group, chin resting in his hand as he listened to them talk. They were discussing crushes, which Lance wouldn't really have much to talk about if he were to join in on the conversation, but he was being respectful and listening anyways. Although, he couldn't stop himself from thinking about that new boy in the group. There was just something about him that intrigued Lance, although he didn't quite know what, as strange as it was.  
“That new boy in group was pretty cute~” Natalie, one of the girls, stated, shrugging. Lance’s attention was suddenly a bit more focused towards the conversation. 

“Are you kidding? I took one look and could tell he’s punk, I'm not into that.” Megan, another one of the girls, stated her opinion. Megan was always one to go for upbeat people. Lance raised an eyebrow. I mean, he did seem a bit goth or whatever, but if she was meaning he was emo, then that was a bit hypocritical since they were all in a mental health group.  
“That guy who came with him, however, was hot,” Natalie added, smirking. The other two girls verbally agreed, starting to talk about it.   
Lance shook his head, muttering under his breath. Guys like that never really interested him, to be honest.  
“Not my type.” he commented quietly, not expecting or hoping anyone would hear him. But they did.  
“hm? What IS your type then, Lance?” Gianna asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Lance looked a little caught off guard at the question, sitting up.   
“Oh, uh- I’m not really a fan of jocks. I guess I tend to go for people who are smaller than me, or who would stop me from doing stupid stuff, but still know how to have fun. Someone fiery. A red aura to my blue, I guess.” Lance shrugged.  
The girls giggled.  
Lance sighed, shaking his head.   
“what are you girls giggling about?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at them. He felt his fingers over the details on the rim of the table, tapping his foot.   
“You're too charming, Lance, how do you NOT have a boyfriend or girlfriend already?” Megan asked him, crossing her arms and leaning forward on the table. 

Lance shrugged, biting his lip indifferently.   
“Well, I mean. I'm in a mental health group, that on its own deters people but I feel the need to be upfront about it. I don't want people feeling like I lied to them about my mental health further down the road.” he stated, and started chewing on the inside of his cheek. He had been lied to before, and so he knew how it felt. It wasn't something he wanted anyone to feel because of him.   
“Geez, you're so thoughtful and sweet, Lance! Total boyfriend material. Ugh, if I was two years younger I'd totally ask you out,” Gianna told him blatantly, whining.  
Lance chuckled, albeit nervously. “I'm almost positive there are people even better than me in your grade, Gigi.”  
“And so optimistic! You're probably a romantic too. Seriously, Lance, I'm surprised you aren't taken. You should really try to get a partner!” Megan commented. Lance really didn't understand at all why these girls thought so highly of him. Yeah, he liked the attention, but he also didn't. He didn't think he deserved any of this, because he wasn't all they said he was. They made him feel like he should be perfect, and charming, and sweet, but he couldn't. They seemed kind of.. demeaning in a way, even though Lance knew they didn't mean to sound that way.

“I.. I'm gonna go,” Lance looked away, placing his hands on the table and pushing himself into a standing position. He picked up his phone, and draped his light jacket over his arm.   
“Aww, why?” Gianna whined, similar questions coming from the other two girls.   
Lance forced a smile, “nothing bad, I promise. I just realized I had something I need to do,” he fibbed, giving them a small wave before starting to walk away. “see you next week!”   
The girls sighed, before waving back and saying their own goodbyes to him. They seemed a bit bummed he was leaving, but that could just be his imagination.

When Lance got outside, he swore in spanish under his breath. God damnit. Why couldn't he just take a compliment once in a while? Why did he always take their words so negatively, even though they clearly meant well? So they thought he was charming and sweet. He heard that all the time. So why was he now thinking that it might not be true? That they might be lying? But then again, if they were lying he would've been able to tell, right? Maybe?  
Lance sighed, turning his phone on. He usually kept it off when he was at group, or out with people, since it would be rude if it went off. He was all for respecting people, his mom always said he was a gentleman from birth, but he could never find any reason to respect himself.

That was his biggest fault. 

Lance looked through his inboxes, his social media accounts, everything, as he walked. He was still in the process of regaining followers, since during a breakdown a few months back he had deleted all of his accounts. He didn't have half as many as he did then, but he supposed that was karma. Lance checked his texts again. Nothing. Not even from Pidge or Hunk, but then Lance remembered telling them not to text him around group time since he wouldn't respond. But Lance didn't feel like he could text them. He felt, if he sent them a text first, he'd seem too eager, or clingy. 

The pavement crunched under Lance’s feet as he walked, not really paying attention to anything but his phone. When he did that, it was because he didn't want to face reality, because he'd focus on every little thing wrong, and that'd bring his mood down.

And then, in a flash, someone bumped into him, and he was on the ground.

The ground? Wait, what? Lance looked up to see another male on the ground as well, and started to stand up. He extended his hand to them.  
“Hey, you alright? Need a hand?” he asked them with a forced smile. The male looked up at him, just a glance, before jumping up on their own and sprinting away. Something about that gaze seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place it until he saw their hair. It was that new boy from group. Questions started filling Lance’s mind. What was he possibly running from?


End file.
